This special issue of TEXT seeks to explore issues related to identity, politics and creative writing from the perspective of creative writers and creative writing academics. The question of who can speak and what stories can be told is central to any discussion of contemporary writing.
Is Australian literature diverse enough or is it still predominantly white, middle class, heterosexual and male? Does it matter? If we believe that fiction has the capacity to create empathy, to change the way we see the world, then we should care that some voices and stories are not being heard or that they are being represented in ways that perpetuate stereotypes and prejudices. And what can writers do about it? Should we do anything? Should white writers write Indigenous characters and stories? Should heterosexual writers write gay characters and stories? Should women only write about women? What is the role of writing academics and writing programs in this debate?
We invite articles that explore the intersections between identity politics and writing. Articles must relate closely to creative writing practice, research and/or teaching. Themes may include but are not limited to
- Politics of writing and publishing
- Cultural appropriation and creative writing
- White writing
- Taste and aesthetics
- Identity politics and the writer
- Narrating the ‘other’
- Diversity in the Australian publishing industry
- Diversity in Australian Literature
- Diversity in Creative Writing pedagogy
- Privilege – who has it? What do you do with it?
- Unfettered Imagination/Fettered imagination
- Intersectionality and writing
- Creative writing and the canon
- Indigenous writing
- Queer writing
- Diasporic and minority writing
- trans/gressions, incoherences, destabilizations
- Ethics and writing
Editors: Dr Natalie Kon-yu and Dr Enza Gandolfo
ARTICLES DUE: 1st May 2017. Articles will be sent to two referees for blind review. Revised articles need to be submitted by October 2017. The Special Issue will be published in April 2018.
All papers and related correspondence should be addressed to Dr Enza Gandolfo at Enza.Gandolfo@vu.edu.au
Referencing style: http://www.textjournal.com.au/speciss/info.htm